ccabaniss

Thank you Giangiorgio 

Hi Giangiorgio, this has a painterly look and feel to me. Captivating and peaceful. Congratulations! ciao Charles

Giangiorgio, fantastic capture of movement and focused determination! Well done as usual!

Thank you PDE! Very Best, C.

Remarkably clear and crisp image of this Greek Revival (?) building. Well done! Charles.

Hi Giangiorgio, I agree with Laurent (all of the above). I also notice the id bands on the Osprey. Some of these birds in my area were banded by the government US Fish & Wildlife to monitor their comeback. Sadly the population of large raptors (Osprey & Bald Eagle) in the mid-Atlantic region was nearly decimated by pesticides, but making a comeback recently since the ban of DDT in particular, and initiatives to clean up rivers and estuaries. Not happy with this new format, but will continue to work with it as time permits. My very best for the holiday season and new year. Ciao, Charles.

sp. fattening up…

Thanks Vincent! I considered using a flash, but I think that might have washed out the color a bit.

Broad-winged hawks fly to South and Central America each fall. This one is sizing up prey from a relatively low perch, no doubt fatting up for its upcoming migration.

Thank you Vincent, much appreciated. Best regards, Charles.

Thanks, Giangiorgio. I discovered this hummingbird basking in the noon day sun as I was leaving the woods. The light is a bit harsh, but I like that its gaze is toward the sun with a glimmer in its eye. Ciao, Charles

Thank you so much, Rich. I appreciate your visit and compliment. Kind regards, Charles.

Hi Vincent, thanks for the compliment. I agree with your suggestion about cropping. Very best, Charles.

Thank you Giangiorgio! I'm still not sure of the species but it was a big one.

I'll admit he's captured a bit too low in the frame but sincerely appreciate the compliment, ciao.

Exquisite example of minimalism and impressionism in nature photography. Bravo, Giangiorgio, ciao Charles.

Thanks Vincent, always appreciate your support and thoughtful comments. Very best, Charles.

Frieder, thank you for your support, much appreciated. Regards, Charles.

Vincent, thanks as always for your continued support. Barred owls are quite common in this area but getting close to one is almost impossible at least in my experience. As I slowly stepped closer and closer, and with the bird keeping tabs on me of course but remaining perched, I kept thinking to myself, can't believe my luck! Finally, something in the distance caught it's attention. After glaring at it for a minute or two, he/she took off in that direction.

***read: iPad

Hi Vincent, thanks so much for your comments. It seems most of my files are a bit softer/less detailed after uploading to pn, (especially when viewed on my iPod), even with extra sharpening added specifically for pn uploads.

Photographed in Rock Creek Park, DC last April, 2022, these finches are quite common throughout much of the contiguous US and Hawaii, and Mexico. Some interesting facts from Cornell University's allaboutbirds.org: "The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). So the more pigment in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps raising the chances they get a capable mate who can do his part in feeding the nestlings."

Brian, thank you for your comments. My go-to bird lens is the Sigma 150-600/5.6-6.3 Contemporary. It's a well balanced, fast focusing lens with excellent sharpness in the 180-550mm zoom range even wide open. It's a little soft at the extreme ends but sharp enough to still benefit from moderate post process usm.

Portrait of an Eastern Kingbird; a migratory flycatcher that winters in South America and spends late spring to late summer in the US and Canada.

One of a series of pics that began as a close up portrait of the bird feasting upon its catch, when golfers in a caravan of carts suddenly and loudly rolled up. The Osprey launched itself (from a lower branch) faster than I could zoom out - I just kept shooting. But I like the resulting detail of the bird's talons and prey.